I'm a little late to this party, but I'll be joining you all in Hyde Park in September. Can't wait to meet everyone. Anyone else going the same route as me and doing minimal prep? I can't imagine it could be too critical, especially given Chicago's unique take on basically everything.

JollyGreenGiant wrote:I've read 1L and freaked myself out, as I was expecting more free-time than that.

Am I wrong in assuming those arriving a week or two before orientation are SOL for gym use until actual classes start? I'm desperately craving some basketball action..

I'll be in town next week, and I'm going to stop by Ratner and see what the deal is. I'll let you know.

I'm in town now. I went into Ratner last night just to survey the lay of the land; I'll get back to you when I speak to the manager.

No need for that. Just go to the student ID office in Regenstein (the big undergrad library) and get your ID; it takes 5 minutes, if that. I believe last year though I couldn't get it till Aug 15 or something, but call and double check.

we had to read devil in the white city in high school and i was really bored by it. Basically every chapter switches between a) the planning and execution of the world's fair in chicago which was held in hyde park where the museum campus is now and b) the plot of a mass murderer who murdered in hyde park around that time. It's all true and it gives you a sense of the area but i didn't really like it.

If you're looking for a different one along the same lines, Compulsion is really good. It's about Leopold and Loeb (who went to U of C undergrad) and also takes place in Hyde Park.

If you're looking for a good summer read, I read The Help and Orange is the New Black and they were both great!

Does anyone know when we'll get our schedules or book lists? I'd like to be able to shop around for cheaper books. I know the June letter said "late summer," but I thought maybe someone had heard something more concrete.